IRON COUNTY — A 25-year-old man led police on a high-speed chase Monday afternoon for what authorities said was for no apparent reason other than he “wanted his freedom.”

Iron County Sheriff’s Deputy Doug Twitchell arrested Tyler Paul Miller from Alexandria, Minnesota, once the chase ended and booked him into the Iron County Correctional Facility for felony evasion, a third-degree felony, and reckless driving, a Class B misdemeanor.

Witnesses called dispatch around 3:05 p.m., reporting a 2006 white Pontiac Grand Am driving in the emergency lane and weaving in and out of traffic at high speeds. At that time, the suspect was near milepost 75 traveling south on Interstate 15.

Twitchell, who was traveling north, first located the vehicle at milepost 62 and clocked it moving at about 100 miles per hour, Iron County Sheriff’s Lt. Del Schlosser said.

The deputy made a U-turn and caught up with the vehicle at milepost 60 at which time, he activated his lights and sirens. The suspect’s vehicle continued south.

Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Bambi Baie joined Twitchell in the pursuit at around milepost 53. Both officers continued south, traveling at speeds nearing 110 miles per hour, Schlosser said.

Sheriff’s deputies tried to deploy spikes at milepost 48 but due to the high speeds were not able to get them set up before the suspect passed authorities. Miller continued to milepost 43 where he finally came to a stop after running out of gas.

The Pontiac was found to be registered to Miller and a background check came up empty on any outstanding warrants in the suspect’s name. He was also clean of any alcohol or drugs, authorities said.

Without any apparent reason for the evasion, police asked Miller why he chose to run from them.

“He (Miller) said he just ‘wanted his freedom,’” Schlosser said. “The thing is, now he’s in jail on a felony evasion charge and if he would have just pulled over at the onset, he would have gotten a ticket for reckless driving and would have been on his way.”

Authorities took Miller to Cedar City Hospital before booking him into jail to be checked on a prior injury from a previous motor vehicle accident. Schlosser did not provide details of the injury but said Miller was given a medical clearance.

Bail was not yet set when this report was published.

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Dash Cam footage of a high-speed chase that Iron County Sheriff's Deputy Doug Twitchell was involved in Monday. Iron County, Utah, Sept. 19,2016 | Photo courtesy of Iron County Sheriff's Office, St. George / Cedar City News

Dash Cam footage of a high-speed chase that Iron County Sheriff's Deputy Doug Twitchell was involved in Monday. Iron County, Utah, Sept. 19,2016 | Photo courtesy of Iron County Sheriff's Office, St. George / Cedar City News

Dash Cam footage of a high-speed chase that Iron County Sheriff's Deputy Doug Twitchell was involved in Monday. Iron County, Utah, Sept. 19,2016 | Photo courtesy of Iron County Sheriff's Office, St. George / Cedar City News

Dash Cam footage of a high-speed chase that Iron County Sheriff's Deputy Doug Twitchell was involved in Monday. Iron County, Utah, Sept. 19,2016 | Photo courtesy of Iron County Sheriff's Office, St. George / Cedar City News

Dash Cam footage of a high-speed chase that Iron County Sheriff's Deputy Doug Twitchell was involved in Monday. Iron County, Utah, Sept. 19,2016 | Photo courtesy of Iron County Sheriff's Office, St. George / Cedar City News

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2016, all rights reserved.

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About the Author

Tracie is an award-winning investigative reporter. She has been published in several publications including the Salt Lake Tribune, Deseret News, Spectrum and Daily News, Elan Woman, and New West. During her career, Tracie has covered various beats including education, politics, crime, courts, cops, government, lifestyle, arts and entertainment, and environmental issues. She is known for her fairness and integrity as a reporter.